The Best Seated VR Games

Highlights

• Playing VR games doesn’t require a large play area – there are games designed for seated play or limited movement.
• The I Expect You To Die series combines escape room puzzles and spy thriller elements, perfect for seated gameplay.
• Tabletop Simulator allows you to play virtual board games in VR, making it a great choice for seated VR gaming.

Playing a game in VR is one of the most thrilling experiences you will ever have. However, setting up your VR equipment in a small play area can be frustrating and may deter you from investing. Its growing popularity and the fact that it’s being used for more than just gaming means it needs to be more accessible.

However, you don’t need an entire room to play some of the best VR titles in the market. The developers of the games on this list have either made these games for you to play while seated or have released updates that let you have a similar experience regardless of your play area.

Updated February 7, 2024, By Branden Lizardi: The Meta Quest 3 has been out for a while now, and we’ve had plenty of time to really get a feel for the headset and all the games on the market that support it. This includes games like I Expect You To Die 3: Cog In The Machine. With Schell Games knocking it out of the park in the secret agent escape room genre, we’ve updated this list to include the entire trilogy instead of a single game.

17 BallisticNG

High-Speed Thrills In A Sci-Fi Setting

Antigravity racer BallisticNG is a love letter to the cult classic series Wipeout, including the electronic soundtrack. The game features over 52 tracks and 16 unique speeders.

You can play the campaign yourself or with other players via cross-platform multiplayer. Experience the fast pace of BallisticNG in full VR by entering the cockpit of your speeder. They made this title for seated mode, but unlike other games on this list, you use the mouse and keyboard to play instead of controllers.

16 Dagon: By H.P. Lovecraft

Atmospheric Horror, Seen With Your Own Eyes

This title is a short narrative experience that brings to life the Cthulhu mythos in full VR glory. Developer Bit Golem provides a 100 percent faithful adaptation of Lovecraft’s short story of the same name.

The best part is that the game is free, but there is a paid DLC if you really want to support the developer. The DLC includes audiobooks and e-books, and your purchase will support the developer’s future titles. The game is easy to control while seated, as this interactive experience doesn’t require much movement.

15 Cooking Simulator VR

A Fantastic Simulator For The Less Kitchen-Savvy Gamer

Not every VR experience needs to be fast-paced or filled with eldritch horrors. Sometimes, you want something more casual and familiar. Perhaps Cooking Simulator VR will suit that need.

Based on the non-VR game of the same name, you’re given a fully stocked kitchen, a menu, and an ongoing list of hungry customers. With nearly everything taking place at ‘table’ height, it’s the perfect game for sitting down and getting to work on a nice borscht. Just try not to drop anything on the ground.

The experience pairs nicely with a vintage Relax Mode, which removes the time limits on the orders you receive. Now you can really sit back and take your time cooking each meal.

14 The I Expect You To Die Series

Classic Spy Style With Escape Room Gameplay

The I Expect You To Die games are what happens when you blend escape room style puzzles and interactivity with classic spy thriller tropes. In all three games, you play as a secret agent, working to hinder the workings of a sinister mastermind. You have to use what limited resources are nearby to solve several lethal circumstances. Since it’s all stationary, it’s a perfect fit for seated gameplay.

Don’t think you’ll succeed on your first try. It takes a lot of experimentation to really solve each level. It’s in the name, after all. They also have some fantastic intro sequences, with original songs and some stellar cinematography that will have you feeling like you’re living inside the beginning of a Bond film.

Actor, voice actor, and internet darling Wil Wheaton appears in the second game, voicing the antagonist.

13 SpaceEngine

Be Bigger Than The Universe

SpaceEngine is a science-based universe simulator using a 1:1 scale. Objects in the universe are procedurally generated with detailed textures and terrain. You can fast-forward to see how everything plays out or explore previously undiscovered sectors of galaxies far, far away.

The physics of this game is top-notch, as it accurately calculates the physical properties of heavenly bodies, including their orbital motions. The game also includes the actual physics of spaceships by calculating their atmospheric flight model, orbital motion, and Alcubierre warp drive.

12 Archangel: Hellfire

Mech Fighting From The Comfort Of Your Seat

Observing the grand expanse of the universe is beautiful. You know what else is beautiful? Fighting rockets and lasers at giant mech suits in your own mech suit. Archangel: Hellfire is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi mech shooter where control of the lands is determined by the winner of the Great Mech Wars.

You can customize your mech with various parts, including special abilities and weapons. The game offers a single-player experience along with PvP servers. The base game is free to play. Additional features can be unlocked with a separate purchase, though.

11 Five Nights At Freddy’s: Help Wanted

Jumpscare Horror In VR. Yes, It’s Scarier That Way

Five Nights At Freddy’s: Help Wanted is set in the Five Nights universe and contains a collection of classic and original mini-games. If you’re familiar with the series, you will enjoy watching scenes of earlier entries rebuilt for VR.

If you have never played the series before, this is a good starting point, as you will get to experience everything the series is about via a highly polished entry. This game plays well seated, but make sure you have plenty of space to your left and right as you reach during gameplay.

10 The Room VR: A Dark Matter

Acclaimed Puzzles Seen From A New Perspective

Escape rooms are fun, and VR is the perfect platform for their digital counterparts. VR escape rooms are impressive because of their ability to use any subject during any period, creating sophisticated puzzles that aren’t possible in the real world.

The Room VR: A Dark Matter is an escape room and puzzle-solving title from the awarding-winning team Fireproof Games. This entry in The Room series is a highly polished VR experience you can experience entirely while seated. It feels like you are solving a crime in London in 1908.

9 Tabletop Simulator

Board Game Night, Virtually

If you ever wanted to play a board game on PC, you have probably heard about Tabletop Simulator. While the base game provides virtual multiplayer options for classic board games, the overwhelmingly productive community is consistently sharing custom games and tables. Want to play Magic: The Gathering or set up a D&D virtual tabletop? Or would you rather play Uno, Cards Against Humanity, Settlers of Catan, or even tabletop mini golf? They have it all.

Best of all (and the reason it’s included in this list) is that it supports VR play. When enabled, you can experience and interact with the tables, games, and pieces in a traditional two-handed VR format. Since nearly all of these games are stationary by nature, it’s an excellent choice for VR games you can play sitting down. We hope your chair has a cushion; we know how long Monopoly can take.

Game’s aren’t separated by VR and non-VR users. So you can still play with your flatscreen-using friends.

8 Ragnarock

Rock Rhythm Gaming With Slightly Less Arm Flailing

Another rhythm title, Ragnarock replaces the laser swords and guitar motifs for something a little more… nordic. And just for good measure, let’s throw a bit of ‘racing game’ in there while we’re at it. You play as the drummer for a viking ship, slamming your hammers on the drums to the beat of numerous viking metal tracks. The better you perform, the faster your boat rows.

And they need to go fast, because you’re not the only viking fording these fjords. The multiplayer mode lets you compete against other players to see who can reach the finish first. Ragnarock makes for a fantastic seated game since you’re stationary and always facing forward. There’s no need to swing your arms behind you. Just be sure nothings in the drumming zone.

7 Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes

Cooperative Puzzle Solving With Slightly More Pressure

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a party game where one person plays as the bomb diffuser while the other players give instructions. The catch, the instruction givers, can’t see the bomb, so they must have highly effective communication skills for the bomb diffuser to succeed.

This game is unique because only the bomb diffuser needs a VR headset and tracked controllers. Most VR-tracked controllers only use one or two buttons to interact with the bomb, which is super simple. You can play with your friends locally and have a blast.

You can print out a copy (or several) of the Bomb Diffusal Manual for a more efficient panic-reading experience for the instruction giving team.

6 VTOL VR

Provide Military Air Support

VTOL VR is a combat flight simulator built fully for VR. You can fly three different jets in PVP or PVE missions. Beat the provided missions? VTOL VR is part of the Steam Workshop and allows players to create and share custom missions.

The game features an interactive cockpit, mission and map editor, customizable equipment, simulated vehicle systems, head-mounted cueing, and an ejector seat. You can interact with everything in the game using only the controllers from the comfort of your chair.

5 Trover Saves The Universe

Wacky Adventure That Is Canonically In A Chair The Whole Time

The team over at Squanch Games has made a remarkable name for themselves at this point. And if there’s anything they love, it’s crass jokes and VR modes. Take Trover Saves The Universe, for example. This wacky puzzle adventure game has you leaving your home to stop an overlord that used your dogs for his eyes.

You DON’T leave your chair, however. Throughout the entire game, you move and interact with the world from the comfort of your futuristic lounge chair. This becomes both a running gag and a gameplay mechanic. The hero you control isn’t standing up, so why should you? If you’re looking for a lighthearted, somewhat mature humor to chuckle to, try this one.

4 Phasmophobia

Cooperative Ghost Hunting Is Easier With Two Hands

Phasmophobia is for you if you’ve ever wanted to play a ghost hunter on television. Assemble your team, grab your ghost-hunting tools, and try to find the entity that’s haunting the place. For an even more authentic experience, you can play the game in VR via all major VR headsets.

The developer released a major VR Overhaul update which includes improvement to seated mode, different options for grabbing items from the truck and environment, and a simulated crouch, so you no longer have to duck.

3 Half-Life: Alyx

Finally, A New Half-Life Game

Half-Life: Alyx is the long-awaited return of the Half-Life series. Not only do you get to return to the universe for a brand-new story, but you also get to experience it through the eyes – and hands – of Alyx Vance.

The game features two different ways you can turn while in seated mode. These functions are called the continuous and snap turns, allowing you to rotate your in-game direction-specific angles. If you suffer from VR sickness, snap turns may be the way to go.

2 Tetris Effect

You’ll Be Thinking About This One In Your Dreams

More than just suitble for playing while seated, we encourage you to get as cozy as you possibly can for Tetris Effect. An all-around fantastic game, VR brings the experience to a higher level. The dynamic visuals will surround you, engrossing you in the tremendously artistic moment each level portrays.

It’s easy to become engrossed in the moment-by-moment happenings in Tetris Effect. Time bends and distorts and you’ll have no idea how much has passed by the time you’re done. Unless you’re playing while standing. After enough idle posing, you’ll start to feel it in your feet, pulling away from the immersion of the game. Don’t play Tetris Effect standing up. Sit down, get comfortable, and breathe it all in.

1 Elite Dangerous

Engage In Interstellar Trade, Travel, And Combat From Your Captain’s Chair

When someone says “Space Trucker,” the first thing you think of might not be something beautiful. But Elite Dangerous proves otherwise. This space exploration simulator has one of the more realistic and engaging space travel experiences. Choose between hauling cargo, fighting outlaws, and exploring the unknown corners of space. Regardless of your choice, you’ll be in absolute awe of the interstellar sights.

The entire game takes place from within your cockpit (which you can decorate, by the way), offering arguably the most immersive sci-fi experiences possible in VR. So grab a controller (or flight stick, if you have one), sit back, and get truckin’. Those Thermal Cooling Units aren’t going to reach Yamashita Excavation Territory by themselves.